\nS<\/strong>cientists now say that a series of slits, not\na giant gash, sank the Titanic<\/em>.<\/p>\n \nThe opulent, 900-foot cruise ship sank in 1912 on its first voyage, from\nEngland to New York. Fifteen hundred people died in the worst maritime disaster\nof the time.<\/p>\n\n \nThe most widely held theory was that the ship hit an iceberg, which opened\na huge gash in the side of the liner. But an international team of divers\nand scientists recently used sound waves to probe the wreckage, buried in\nthe mud under two-and-a-half miles of water. Their discovery? The damage\nwas surprisingly small. Instead of the huge gash, they found six relatively\nnarrow slits across the six watertight holds.<\/p>\n\n \nSmall damage, invisible to most, can sink not only a great ship but a great\nreputation.<\/p>\n\n —USA Today (4\/9\/97)<\/p>\n (Integrity, Sin)<\/strong><\/p>\n \nI<\/strong>ntegrity is like virginity—once you lose it,\nit’s gone for good. … No officer should ever be in a position where he\nor she fears the truth.<\/p>\n\n —Andrew Entwistle\nCaptain, U.S. Army\nin a letter to the editors of Newsweek (6\/17\/96), responding to an article\non Navy Admiral Jeremy Boorda’s suicide<\/em><\/p>\n (Integrity, Truth)<\/strong><\/p>\n C<\/strong>haracter cannot be developed in ease and quiet.\nOnly through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened,\nvision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved.<\/p>\n\n —Helen Keller<\/p>\n (Success, Suffering)<\/strong><\/p>\n \nF<\/strong>orty-eight percent of American workers admit\nto taking unethical or illegal actions in the past year. USA Today\n<\/em>(4\/14\/97) listed the five most common types of unethical\/illegal behavior\nthat workers say they have engaged in because of pressure:<\/p>\n\n —survey by Ethics Officers Association and the American Society of Chartered\nLife Underwriters and Chartered Financial Consultants<\/p>\n (Ethics, Integrity)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n \n(Matt. 2:11; 25:40)<\/p>\n \nI<\/strong>n 1994, Alex Dovales was drifting toward Miami on a rickety boat with twenty-seven other Cubans. Two years later, Dovales saw fourteen exhausted, penniless Cuban rafters wash ashore on Key Largo and “felt like I had just arrived here myself.”<\/p>\n\n \nThe 25-year-old dishwasher, who clears $197 per week, walked home and gathered all the presents from under his Christmas tree. He gave the shirts and other clothing to the new arrivals.<\/p>\n\n \n“They were wet and cold,” explained Henry Paez, Dovales’s roommate. “Alex took off his shirt and gave it to them.”<\/p>\n\n —Dubuque Telegraph\/Herald (12\/20\/96)<\/p>\n \n(Generosity, Mercy)<\/strong><\/p>\n \nFriends don’t give friends fruitcakes.<\/strong><\/p>\n —A bumper sticker<\/p> \n \n(Friendship, Gifts)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n \n(1 Tim. 6:6-10)<\/p>\n \nI<\/strong>n her article, “Baubles are Back,” in Marketing News <\/em>(4\/14\/97), Cyndee Miller writes:<\/p>\n\n \nAfter spending the first half of the decade trying to live down the excesses of the eighties, consumers are again willing to splurge on the finer things in life . …<\/p>\n\n \nThis time around, consumers are opting for “practical” luxury, or at least things that give the appearance of being practical . …<\/p>\n\n \nSo that $60,000 sport-utility vehicle isn’t considered cool. Rather, it’s viewed as offering superior handling. The $450 black, patent-leather Prada backpack isn’t about having a piece of the designer du jour; it’s considered an investment that will last longer than a bag from Target . …<\/p>\n\n \nBut unlike the “overt consumerism” of the eighties, this time around, “it’s not about keeping up with the Joneses,” said Wendy Liebmann, president of WSL Strategic Retail. “People are buying for themselves.”<\/p>\n\n (Indulgence, Materialism)<\/strong><\/p>\n \nW<\/strong>hat some people mistake for the high cost of\nliving is really the cost of high living.”<\/p>\n\n —Doug Larson<\/p>\n (Covetousness, Greed)<\/strong><\/p>\n \nThat’s About the Size of It!<\/strong>\nEvidence of people’s growing expectations was revealed in a recent survey\nconducted by the National Association of Home Builders, comparing amenities\nfeatured in homes between 1975 and 1995.<\/p>\n\n —USA Today (3\/24\/97) <\/p>\n (Dissatisfaction, Materialism)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n \n(Col. 3:13)<\/p>\n \n \nEveryone says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive, as we had during the war. And then, to mention the subject at all is to be greeted with howls of anger.”<\/p>\n —C.S. Lewis\nMere Christianity<\/p>\n (Application, Resentment)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n \n“Forgiveness is the fragrance that the flower leaves on the heel of the one who crushed it.”<\/strong><\/p>\n —Mark Twain<\/p>\n (Healing, Pardon)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n \n(Rom. 5:8)<\/p>\n \nI<\/strong>t was 1944, and Bert Frizen was an infantryman\non the front lines in Europe. American forces had advanced in the face of\nintermittent shelling and small-arms fire throughout the morning hours, but\nnow all was quiet. His patrol reached the edge of a wooded area with an open\nfield before them. Unknown to the Americans, a battery of Germans waited\nin a hedgerow about two hundred yards across the field.<\/p>\n\n \nBert was one of two scouts who moved out into the clearing. Once he was halfway\nacross the field, the remainder of his battalion followed. Suddenly the Germans\nopened fire, and machine gun fire ripped into both of Bert’s legs. The American\nbattalion withdrew into the woods for protection, while a rapid exchange\nof fire continued.<\/p>\n\n \nBert lay helplessly in a small stream as shots volleyed overhead. There seemed\nto be no way out. To make matters worse, he now noticed that a German soldier\nwas crawling toward him. Death appeared imminent; he closed his eyes and\nwaited. To his surprise, a considerable period passed without the expected\nattack, so he ventured opening his eyes again. He was startled to see the\nGerman kneeling at his side, smiling. He then noticed that the shooting had\nstopped. Troops from both sides of the battlefield watched anxiously. Without\nany verbal exchange, this mysterious German reached down to lift Bert in\nhis arms and proceeded to carry him to the safety of Bert’s comrades.<\/p>\n\n \nHaving accomplished his self-appointed mission, and still without speaking a word, the German soldier turned and walked back across the field to his own troop. No one dared break the silence of this sacred moment. Moments later the cease-fire ended, but not before all those present had witnessed how one man risked everything for his enemy.<\/p>\n\n \nBert’s life was saved through the compassion of a man whom he considered his enemy. This courageous act pictures what Jesus did for us.<\/p>\n\n —Lynn McAdam\nWest Germany<\/p>\n (Compassion, Mercy)<\/strong><\/p>\n \nT<\/strong>he grace of God means something like: Here is your life. You might never have been, but you are<\/em> because the party wouldn’t have been complete without you. Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don’t be afraid. I am with you. Nothing can ever separate us. It’s for you I created the universe. I love you.<\/p>\n\n \nBut there’s only one catch. Like any other gift, the gift of grace can be yours only if you’ll reach out and take it.<\/p>\n\n \nMaybe being able to reach out and take it is a gift too.<\/p>\n —Frederick Buechner\nWishful Thinking: A Theological ABC<\/p>\n (God’s Love, Justification)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n \nA<\/strong>n engagement ring that fell into the sea off\nthe west coast of Sweden almost two years ago found its way back to its owner.\nThe ring was consumed by a mussel that was caught by fisherman Peder Carlsson.<\/p>\n\n \nCarlsson was able to return the ring to its owner because its owner, Agneta\nWingstedt, had her name engraved on the inside.<\/p>\n\n \nIf we belong to Christ and bear his name, we will be reunited with him\none day.<\/em><\/p>\n —Parade (12\/26\/96)<\/p>\n (Heaven, Marriage)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n \n(Ps. 46:10; Matt. 11:28-30)<\/p>\n\n \nS<\/strong>ome time ago, a newspaper in Tacoma, Washington,\ncarried the story of Tattoo, the basset hound. Tattoo didn’t intend to go\nfor an evening run, but when his owner shut his leash in the car door and\ntook off with Tattoo still outside the vehicle, he had no choice.<\/p>\n\n \nA motorcycle officer named Terry Filbert noticed a passing vehicle with something\nthat appeared to be dragging behind it. As he passed the vehicle, he saw\nthe object was a basset hound on a leash.<\/p>\n\n \n“He was picking them up and putting them down as fast as he could,” said\nFilbert. He chased the car to a stop, and Tattoo was rescued, but not before\nthe dog reached a speed of twenty to twenty-five miles per hour, and rolled\nover several times.<\/p>\n\n \n(The dog was fine but asked not to go out for an evening walk for a long\ntime.)<\/p>\n\n \nThere are too many of us whose days are marked by “picking them up and putting\nthem down as fast as we can.” We must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from our\nlives.<\/p>\n\n —John Ortberg<\/p>\n (Rest, Stress)<\/strong><\/p>\n \nA <\/strong>Newsweek poll (1\/27\/97) found that 64 percent\nof those surveyed believe they will have less<\/em> leisure time in the\nfuture than they have now.<\/p>\n\n \n(Hopelessness, Workaholism)<\/strong><\/p>\n \nThe problem with\nliving life in the fast\nlane—you get to the\ntoll booth quicker.<\/strong><\/p>\n —Robert Orben\nCurrent Comedy<\/p>\n (Death, Life)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n \n(Heb. 13:4)<\/p>\n \nI<\/strong>n the movie The Poseidon Adventure<\/em>,\nthe ocean liner S.S. Poseidon <\/em>is on the open sea when it hits a huge\nstorm. A wall of water crashes through the ballroom chandelier. Men in tuxes\nand women in evening gowns scream and run. Lights go out, smoke pours into\nrooms and, amid all the confusion, the ship flips over.<\/p>\n\n \nBecause of the air trapped inside the ocean liner, it floats upside down.\nBut in the confusion, the passengers can’t figure out what’s going on. They\nscramble to get out, mostly by climbing the steps to the top deck. The problem\nis, the top deck is now 100 feet under water. In trying to get to the top\nof the ship, they drown.<\/p>\n\n \nThe only survivors are the few who do what doesn’t make sense. They do the\nopposite of what everyone else is doing and descend into the dark belly of\nthe ship until they reach the hull. By going down, they reach the ocean’s\nsurface. Rescuers hear them banging and cut them free.<\/p>\n\n \nIn marriage, it’s as if God has turned the ship over and the only way for\nus to find freedom is to choose what doesn’t make sense: lay down our lives\nby serving, supporting, and sacrificing for our spouses.<\/p>\n\n —Kevin A. Miller\nMarriage Partnership (Fall 96)<\/p>\n (Service, Submission)<\/strong><\/p>\n \nB<\/strong>y all means marry; if you get a good wife,\nyou’ll become happy. If you get a bad one, you’ll become a philosopher.<\/p>\n\n —Socrates<\/p>\n (Happiness, Philosophy)<\/strong><\/p>\n \nD<\/strong>ating doesn’t train young people for marriage;\nit prepares them for divorce. Dating typically involves a series of short-term\nrelationships. Even those who end up with a solid marriage often have to\ndeal with a lot of painful emotional baggage from previous dating relationships.<\/p>\n\n \n“A lot is said these days of abstaining from sex before marriage, but there\nis a great need for emotional abstinence as well. Courtship in the context\nof the family enables young people to get to know each other and yet still\nmaintain their physical and emotional integrity.”<\/p>\n\n —former Olympic runner \nand Kansas Congressional \nrepresentative, Jim Ryun<\/p>\n (Dating, Relationships)<\/strong><\/p>\n \nG<\/strong>irls in our culture are caught in the crossfire\nof our culture’s mixed sexual messages. Sex is considered both a sacred act\nbetween two people united by God and the best way to sell suntan lotion.<\/p>\n\n —Mary Pipher in Reviving Ophelia<\/p>\n (Culture, Sexuality)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n \n(1 Thess. 5:16-18)<\/p>\n \nI<\/strong>n his book Living Life on Purpose<\/em>, Greg Anderson shares the story of one man’s journey to joy:<\/p>\n\n \n … his wife had left him and he was completely depressed. He had lost faith in himself, in other people, in God—he found no joy in living.<\/p>\n\n \nOne rainy morning this man went to a small neighborhood restaurant for breakfast. Although several people were at the diner, no one was speaking to anyone else. Our miserable friend hunched over the counter, stirring his coffee with a spoon.<\/p>\n\n \nIn one of the small booths along the window was a young mother with a little girl. They had just been served their food when the little girl broke the sad silence by almost shouting, “Momma, why don’t we say our prayers here?”<\/p>\n\n \nThe waitress who had just served their breakfast turned around and said, “Sure, honey, we pray here. Will you say the prayer for us?” And she turned and looked at the rest of the people in the restaurant and said, “Bow your heads.”<\/p>\n\n \nSurprisingly, one by one, the heads went down. The little girl then bowed her head, folded her hands, and said, “God is great, God is good, and we thank him for our food. Amen.”<\/p>\n\n \nThat prayer changed the entire atmosphere. People began to talk with one another. The waitress said, “We should do that every morning.”<\/p>\n\n \n“All of a sudden,” said our friend, “my whole frame of mind started to improve. From that little girl’s example, I started to thank God for all that I did have and stop majoring in all that I didn’t have. I started to choose happiness.”<\/p>\n\n \n(Joy, Prayer)\n<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n \n(Prov. 3:5-6)<\/p>\n \n \nThe Department of Transportation has set aside $200 million for research and testing of an Automated Highway System. This system would purportedly relieve traffic woes with “super cruise control” in heavily congested cities.<\/p>\n\n \nSpecial magnets embedded in the asphalt every four feet would transfer signals between vehicle and main computer system. Steering, acceleration, and braking would be controlled by sensors, computers navigation systems, and cameras along the side of the road. Control would be returned to drivers at their specified exit.<\/p>\n\n \nResearchers and government officials claim they have the technological capability to address any potential problem. But one challenge they have yet to address.<\/p>\n\n \nSays Mike Doble, Buick’s technology manager, “The only thing we can’t do yet is get people to comfortably trust the system. It’s not a technology issue. Would you drive, closely spaced, at high speeds, through San Diego?”<\/p>\n\n \nTrust is always the question.<\/p>\n\n —USA Today (4\/9\/97)<\/p>\n (Control, Submission)<\/strong><\/p>\n \nD<\/strong>on’t worry about the future—worry quenches the work of grace within you. The future belongs to God. He is in charge of all things. Never second-guess him.”<\/p>\n\n —Francois Fenelon\nSeventeenth-century French Bishop<\/p>\n (Faith, Worry)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n \n(Col. 3:23-24)<\/p>\n \nO<\/strong>f more than 1,200 business students in ten nations surveyed by Coopers & Lybrand, 45 percent named “a rewarding life outside work” as their chief goal.<\/p>\n —Wall Street Journal (6\/3\/97)<\/p>\n (Priorities, Youth)<\/strong><\/p>\n \nM<\/strong>aking a life is more significant than making a living.<\/p>\n\n —William Willimon\nPreaching Today<\/p>\n (Discipleship, Priorities)<\/strong><\/p>\n \nI<\/strong>‘m constantly amazed by the number of people who can’t seem to control their own schedules. Over the years, I’ve had many executives come to me and say with pride, ‘Boy, last year I worked so hard that I didn’t take any vacation.’<\/p>\n\n \nIt’s actually nothing to be proud of. I always feel like responding, “You dummy. You mean to tell me that you can take responsibility for an $80 million project, and you can’t plan two weeks out of the year to go off with your family and have some fun?”<\/p>\n\n —Lee Iacocca<\/p>\n (Planning, Priorities)<\/strong><\/p>\n \nI<\/strong>n his book The Dilbert Principle<\/em>, Scott Adams offers his usual blend of sarcasm and irrefutable wisdom in “Dilbert’s Laws of Work”:<\/p>\n\n \nDon’t be irreplaceable. If you can’t be replaced, you can’t be promoted.<\/p>\n\n \nWhen you don’t know what to do, walk fast and look worried.<\/p>\n\n \nEverything can be filed under “miscellaneous.”<\/p>\n\n \nIf you are good, you will be assigned all the work. If you are really good, you will get out of it.<\/p>\n\n \nIf it wasn’t for the last moment, nothing would get done.<\/p>\n\n \nKeep your boss’s boss off your boss’s back.<\/p>\n\n \nEat one live toad the first thing in the morning, and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.<\/p>\n\n (Business, Relationships)<\/strong><\/p>\n \nW<\/strong>hat are the most effective illustrations you’ve come across? For items used, Leadership<\/em> will pay $35. If the material has been published previously, please indicate the source. Send contributions to: To Illustrate plus, Leadership, 465 Gundersen Drive, Carol Stream, IL 60188. Contact Us<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n\n<\/blockquote>\n\n 1997 by the author or Christianity Today\/Leadership<\/em> Journal. For reprint information call 630-260-6200 or contact us<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Character (Prov. 10:9)<\/h2>\n\n
\n
Christmas<\/h2>
Contentment<\/h2>
The percentage of new, single-family homes with:<\/h2>\n
\n
\n \n Central air-conditioning:\n 2-1\/2 or more bathrooms:\n 4 or more bedrooms:\n Garage for 2 or more cars:\n Average size in sq.ft.:\n <\/td>\n \n 1975<\/strong>\n 46\n 20\n 21\n 53\n 1,645\n <\/td>\n \n 1995<\/strong>\n\t80\n\t48\n\t30\n\t76\n\t2,095\n <\/td>\n <\/tr>\n <\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n Forgiveness<\/h2>
Grace<\/h2>
Lost and Found<\/h2>
Hurry<\/h2>
Marriage & Sex<\/h2>
Thanksgiving<\/h2>
Trust <\/h2>
Super Cruise Control<\/h2>
Work <\/h2>
\n